No Worse Enemy: The Inside Story of the Chaotic Struggle for Afghanistan

Ben Anderson

Mar 2012 · Oneworld Publications

About this ebook

The war in Afghanistan is over ten years old. It has cost countless lives and hundreds of billions of pounds. Politicians talk of progress, but the violence is worse than ever.

In this powerful and shocking exposé from the front lines in Helmand province, leading journalist and documentary-maker Ben Anderson (HBO, Panorama, and Dispatches) shows just how bad it has got. Detailing battles that last for days, only to be fought again weeks later, Anderson witnesses IED explosions and sniper fire, amid disturbing incompetence and corruption among the Afghan army and police. Also revealing the daily struggle to win over the long-suffering local population, who often express open support for the Taliban, No Worse Enemy is a heartbreaking insight into the chaos at the heart of the region.

Raising urgent questions about our supposed achievements and the politicians’ desire for a hasty exit, Anderson highlights the vast gulf that exists between what we are told and what is actually happening on the ground. A product of five years’ unrivalled access to UK forces and US Marines, this is the most intimate and horrifying account of the Afghan war ever published.

About the author

Ben Anderson is an acclaimed journalist and Emmy-nominated filmmaker. In a career spanning 14 years, he has filmed and presented over 40 films for the BBC, Channel 4, HBO and the Discovery Channel. He has presented five of his own series for BBC2 and is a regular reporter for Panorama and Dispatches. He was twice a finalist for the RTS young journalist of the year award and his HBO film The Battle for Marjah was nominated for three Emmys. In addition, he has written for GQ, Esquire, The Times of London, and the London Review of Books. When not reporting from the field, he lives in London.